Firearm sound suppressing devices, often referred to simply as “suppressors” or “silencers,” that may be integral with the barrel or attached to the muzzle end of a barrel are well known. In general, such devices reduce the sound produced by high pressure gasses rapidly escaping the muzzle when fired by trapping the burst of gas pressure in an enclosed housing to slow the release to the atmosphere (to attenuate the pressure wave), consuming energy of the muzzle blast by creating turbulence and redirecting the flow of gas pressure, and/or absorbing heat energy. The most common types of sound suppressing devices include a housing whose interior volume is divided into multiple chambers by baffles, having a longitudinal passageway axially aligned with the bore of the barrel to allow a fired projectile to pass unencumbered.
The design of an effective suppressor must address its exposure to both high internal pressure and heat. Traditionally, suppressors have been made by providing a metallic tubular or cylindrical housing with attached endcaps and milling or turning metallic baffles to be held inside the tubular housing. The advent of additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing) has expanded the range of designs that are possible to produce. At the same time, new issues must be addressed in this alternate form of manufacturing.